South Korea Joins Space Race in Tech Drive as Russia’s Isolation Deepens Over War in Ukraine

  • South Korea scraps deal on satellite launches with Russia
  • Expands cooperation with US while bolstering own capabilities

A space rocket takes off at the Naro Space Center in Goheung-gun, South Korea, on June 21, 2022.

Source: Korea Aerospace Research Institute/Getty Images
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South Korea is preparing a domestic rocket development program as part of an ambitious drive to carve out a larger slice of the global space economy following the implosion of its partnership with Russia.

Seoul last month revoked a contract with Moscow in favor of a European operator to launch a satellite into space. Having relied on Russia for years to send its probes into orbit, the move is a tangible impact of sanctions on the Kremlin over its invasion of Ukraine.